The Caretaker by Paul Doiron is a good short story. Charley Stevens is a great character and I loved how he figured out the truth. Still, I always find short stories like this one good and also frustrating. They are too short. I liked the mystery in this book, but it was over way too soon. Still, I love reading them because I love the Mike Bowditch series. ( )

Who doesn't love Charley?

Another great novella with Charley Stevens strutting his stuff and Mike Bowditch learning a thing or two along the way. ( )

The Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron begins with Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch sitting on the porch with retired Game Warden and good friend, Charley Stevens. The quiet calm of Sixth Machias Lake is broken by Violet and Josiah Baker driving a brand new and now very dusty, Tesla. Sent by the local authorities, the high power couple need their help.

Recently, Violet and Josiah Baker bought an old cabin at nearby Quillpig Pond and started massive renovations. Things were going as expected until approximately two weeks strange things started happening in and around the cabin. What seemly started as a weird joke has now escalated into what appears to be a violent threat of some type. Then couple, especially Violet, are frustrated and want it stopped.

Violet is sure their caretaker, Kevin Moran, is responsible. Charley and Mike are not so sure. While he is known to the Game Wardens as a loner and with a strange sense of humor, he isn't known for what Violet is reporting.

Still, the Game Wardens are interested and start trying to figure out what is going on. Things escalate quickly in the Caretaker: A Short Story by Paul Doiron.

A fast and fun read, the short story is a small taste of the very enjoyable series. Packaged with the short story is an excerpt from the next novel in the series, Dead by Dawn, which is coming out late this month.

The Caretaker: A Short Story
Paul Doiron
http://www.pauldoiron.com
Minotaur Books (Macmillan Books)
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250824547
ASIN: B08WL1S1HK
eBook
51 Pages

I purchased my reading copy a few weeks ago from Amazon.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021 ( )